RETAILING

AMERICAS: E-commerce technology spend focused on systems and applications.

In a recent editorial the trade journal ''Online Retailer'' reported that online retailers are spending more on systems and applications as slower sales growth focuses attention on customer retention.

Leading online retailers are now spending between 4% and 11% of their sales revenue on e-commerce technology whereas the figure averaged 3% a decade ago. More specifically the top ten quoted retailers who derived all, or a majority of, their revenues online spent an average 7.7% which is an increase of 54.8%.

PORTS

ASIA: The Port of Rotterdam advises the Indian Ports Association.

The Port of Rotterdam was commissioned about a year ago by the Indian Ports Association to offer strategic advice to the major Indian ports.

Their key recommendations were the delegation of power downwards from the Ministry of Shipping to the individual ports and from senior management to executives within organisations.

The report also suggested that investment in mechanised cargo handling rather than increasing the number of berths would lead to economic efficiencies.

Further recommendations were for increased outsourcing and the development of transport connectivity's which would facilitate the offer of total transport solutions to clients.

MEDIA

EUROPE: The winds of change are blowing through the French business press.

Bernard Arnault's LVMH is in exclusive talks to buy Les Echos from Pearson Plc and has, according to Reuters, made an offer of 250 million Euro's.

Arnault currently owns the loss-making La Tribune and its journalists fear that if he acquired its rival he would divest La Tribune in such a manner that its future would be threatened. Financier Vincent Bolloré has declared his interest in acquiring it.

In common with their counterparts at Dow Jones the French journalists are also concerned that their newspapers' new ownership would threaten editorial independence. Christine Albanel, the French culture minister, said that the government would examine the competition implications of a sale of either or both newspapers.